Region of Tuscany signs agreement on geothermal development
View at Randicondoli, Tuscany, Italy (source: flickr/ Benjamin Rabe, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
29 Jan 2014
Rete Geotermica, a consortium of companies including ORC turbine supplier Exergy, signs development agreement with the region of Tuscany, Italy for the development of geothermal power project.
An historic agreement has been signed between the Regione Toscana (Tuscany, Italy) and Rete Geotermica (Geothermal Network), to support the development of environmentally friend geothermal power plant in the Tuscany region.
Regional president Enrico Rossi pointed out at the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding that this is a milestone. It is the first time an agreement is signed with a group that does not include Enel, but more important is likely the horizon in which the network operates geothermal namely focusing on middle and lower enthalpy resources.
EXERGY is a founder member of the Rete Geotermica network and strongly support this initiative. At the signing ceremony yesterday, Matteo Quaia, Senior Proposal Engineer for EXERGY said, “The support of the Regione Toscana, and in particular the endorsement of President Enrico Rossi is an important step forward for geothermal power production in Italy. President Rossi recognizes the value to be gained from a network of committed geothermal stakeholders in the development of geothermal power plants with an extremely low impact on the environment. This will surely benefit employment on a local level and the economy across the region.”
Quaia adds “EXERGY is excited to be a key contributor in the development of low enthalpy power production in Tuscany, having, for this type of resources, the most efficient solution on the market.”
All current members of the RETE association are Italian companies, ranging from developers, drilling companies and technology/service supplier. EXERGY is the only turbine supplier inside the network and can already boast a presence in Tuscany. In early 2013 the company built the first and only commercial binary geothermal ORC plant in Italy for ENEL Green Power, in the Bagnore geothermal field.
Source: Exergy release, MET Provincia di Firenze
